


friend of a friend,

by joshriku



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Crack, Established Relationship, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:46:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27428137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joshriku/pseuds/joshriku
Summary: "...For starters, when you said Mickey, I pictured some human named Michael.”“Oh.” Well, it’s not everyday you see a talking mouse. “I may have forgotten to mention that he’s a mouse.”
Relationships: Kiryu "Joshua" Yoshiya/Riku (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 21





	friend of a friend,

**Author's Note:**

> destiel is canon now so why shouldn't i post more cringe to my ao3 dot org account

“You’re… surprisingly not bad at this,” Joshua hums, looking at Riku’s reflection in the mirror. “I’m quite shocked, honestly.”

Riku stops touching his hair. He looks up to his reflection, too, looking quite offended. “Were you expecting me to be bad at braiding?”

“Maybe so,” Joshua giggles. Riku lightly swats his shoulder. “Ow, meanie.”

 _“You’re_ a meanie,” Riku huffs, still finishing the small braid. “You’re lucky you look nice.”

“Well, it certainly got rid of the hair on my face,” he smiles a bit. “I haven’t seen my forehead in a while.”

“You’re welcome,” Riku says, talking over Joshua’s very fake attempt at thanking him. “I can leave peacefully now.”

Joshua sighs, loud. “Do you _have_ to leave?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Riku rubs his neck. He proceeds to grab his bag from the bed, still looking reluctant to go. “You know how it is. Duty calls.”

“Your duty never lets you off longer than two days,” Joshua rolls his eyes. “How come even I get some rest and you don’t?”

Riku grins at him. “I mean, I have to run some errands, that’s all. Probably won’t take long. Why don’t you tag along for a change?”

“Sure.”

“Oh—what?” he blinks at him, almost dropping his bag. “You want to come with me?”

Joshua looks at his wrist like he has an imaginary watch telling him the hour. “Well, I do have one day more of rest before I go back to minding my UG business, sooo…”

“You’ll tag along, then?”

“Sheesh. Do you need me to spell it out for you? Y-e-s.”

Riku breaks out into a huge grin, rushing to give him a kiss. “Okay, okay. You’ll have fun! Promise.”

“Yes, I expect nothing but the finest entertainment,” Joshua replies, smiling. “Well, Master, don’t keep me waiting.”

* * *

“This ship could _really_ use some decor,” Joshua says, sitting down. “This is kind of tacky, Riku.”

Riku sighs. “I didn’t invite you to criticize the gummi ship.”

“The _gummi ship,”_ Joshua chuckles. “That’s such a funny name. Now, I know I wasn’t invited to criticize it, however - do I not have a right to speak my mind freely? All I’m saying, get some fairy lights, make it look better. The lack of color theory in this ship really bothers me.”

“Says _you.”_

Riku catches Joshua’s reaction in the rearview. He looks downright offended. Honestly, teasing Joshua is the best when you know exactly what buttons to press. Joshua brings a hand to his chest, still offended, and continues: “And what does _that_ mean? I took a course on interior design once.”

“Mhm-hmm. What are you going to do to my ship, huh? Add a bar to it?”

“I’ll let you know Dead God’s Pad is a beautiful, wonderful place, and if you lack the critical eye to view it then that is not on me at all.”

Riku laughs. It’s a good thing the gummi ship runs on happy faces, because this is the hardest he’s laughed while riding it. Joshua, quick to move on from subjects that embarrass him, continues: “Where are we going, anyway? This trip seems extremely mysterious.”

“Oh, my bad. We have to rendezvous with Mickey first, then we go to Radiant Garden to deliver the errands.”

“Mickey,” Joshua repeats. “I hear his name a lot. He’s a close friend of yours, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. I’m happy you finally get to meet him,” Riku turns around briefly to smile at him, “I’ve talked about you a lot.”

“Oh? And what did you say about me, mm? How I’m the best boyfriend in the world and everyone would be jealous of you?”

Riku rolls his eyes. “You really wish I said that, huh. No, just about things you’re up to, and that I love you and all. Nothing too exciting.”

“You should mention the part where I do many, many crimes, and I’m the number one most searched criminal in Shibuya.”

“...I wish I could live in your head for a day,” Riku hums. “That’d be fun.”

“Definitely not, but it’s cute that you think that. Can’t wait to meet your friends,” Joshua might be smiling. Riku can’t tell. “I feel like you hang out with mine too much.”

“They’re my friends too!”

“Yes, I’m saying, it’s going to be nice to find someone from the little Riku’s side. Riku’s little worlds.”

“Sure. I hope you like him.”

“I’m sure I will.”

A good thirty minutes of driving later, decorated with Joshua’s colorful comments about how none of this really made any _sense -_ “Riku, we’re literally _in space_ right now. You expect me to believe time is flowing normally as it usually does and it hasn’t been ten years in the real world?” - Riku finally arrives at the Mysterious Tower to meet Mickey.

“Oh, what a total gentleman,” Joshua says once Riku offers him his hand, helping him walk down.

Riku kisses his hand, just because, and keeps walking. “Mickey should be here already.”

“How punctual of him. I have got to say, that is quite the good impression already.”

Before Riku gets to add anything else, the door to the tower opens, and Mickey steps outside. “Oh, Riku! You’re already here, that’s great!” His eyes quickly divert to Joshua, looking confused. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is my boyfriend, Joshua,” Riku holds up their hands like it’s extra proof. “He’s tagging along for today.”

Joshua is… surprisingly quiet. Oddly so, in fact, because Joshua always has a lot to say about everything. Riku is sure if he asked Joshua to rank his socks from favorite to least favorite, Joshua would confidently have an answer for it. So this right now… odd. He turns to look at Joshua briefly, and finds him looking quite surprised. 

“Hello,” Joshua says, and… wow, okay, something is going on. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Haha! A shy one, aren’t you!” Mickey walks toward Joshua, extending his hand. Joshua briefly makes eye contact with Riku - his eyes say _something,_ but it’s such a specific message that Riku doesn’t quite get it. He drops Riku’s hand and carefully, like Mickey’s glove might be on fire, he stretches it. “I’m Mickey! Nice to meet you!”

“So,” Riku chimes in again because he feels like there might be a subplot he’s not aware of yet. “Do you have the pieces Cid requested? I’m sorry I couldn’t gather them myself.”

“Riku, don’t be silly! You can’t do every errand yourself!” Mickey smiles at him and Riku relaxes again. His friend holds up a bag. “Yup! Look for yourself. _Aaaall_ the pieces he requested are right here!”

Riku takes the bag, sparing a glance to Joshua again. He’s staring at Mickey like he drowned his goldfish. “I hope gathering these wasn’t too troubling,” Riku murmurs, looking at the rare items. Yikes. Some pretty tough heartless dropped these.

“No worries. I’m all in one piece! I’m the King for a reason, Riku,” he laughs.

“You’re a _king?”_ Joshua asks. “Do I need to -”

“Oh, please, no need for formalities!” Mickey smiles at him again. It’s a little funny, every time Mickey acknowledges Joshua, it looks like Joshua wants to explode where he stands. “We’re all pals here, Joshua! Especially you! You’re our guest of honor, haha!”

“Right,” Joshua says. He blinks. “...Thanks.”

Either Mickey is really good at not noticing Joshua’s speech pattern or he doesn’t care much. “Welp, I’ll go ahead and set up the ship again. See you there, folks!”

“Yeah, we’ll be there in a sec,” Riku answers. He waits until Mickey is away at a safe distance to turn to Joshua. “Alright, spit it out. What’s up with you?”

“Who, me?” Joshua retorts. “I’m all fine. Peachy. Excellent, I might even say.”

“Joshua.”

“Ugh, don’t use that tone on me,” Joshua waves him off. “Fine. Just… your little friend there.”

“I figured he’s the source of the problem. What is it?”

“You… for starters, when you said _Mickey,_ I pictured some human named Michael.”

“Oh.” Well, it’s not everyday you see a talking mouse. “I may have forgotten to mention that he’s a mouse.”

“No kidding!” Joshua exclaims, “It’s not any mouse. It’s freaking Mickey Mouse!”

“Wait, so you know him?”

“Of course I know him!” Joshua is gesturing now. Riku bites back a smile. “He’s a filthy capitalist! Everybody knows him!”

“...He’s a what?”

“You’re so innocent, Riku. I’d rather not shatter your views with the horrible, horrible truth of Michael Mouse.”

“I am pretty sure that’s not his name,” Riku says. “Can you elaborate on the part where you know him?”

Joshua digs out his phone. After a quick search, Riku is faced with countless images of his dear friend in an outfit he hasn’t seen in a while. 

“His face is the embodiment of capitalism,” Joshua adds with disdain, “and we’ve certainly had enough of it. I don’t trust him.”

“You _do_ know these are two different versions of Mickey, right,” Riku deadpans. “This Mickey has not done any of those things.”

Joshua pats his face. It feels condescending, somehow, even though it’s probably meant to be endearing. “You poor innocent soul.”

“Stop talking like that.”

“He’s a king here, isn’t he? I’m immediately suspicious.” Joshua looks at the ship, then back at Riku. “...However, I will try to be nice, because I know he means a lot to you and I would not want to be rude to your friends. Even if they _are_ Mickey Mouse.”

It’s probably the funniest sentence Riku’s ever heard in his life. He’s appreciative of his intentions, but at the same time, the sentence is just - it’s a lot to hear from your boyfriend of all people. He breaks out laughing and gives him a hug, just because. “Sure. Thank you for your efforts.”

“You are most welcome. I am really trying here.”

“And I appreciate it. Let’s head back to the ship now, okay?”

“Do we have to?” Joshua whines. “You know I can just dimension-hop and then text Sanae to pick me up.”

Riku shrugs. “Go ahead then.”

“...Not begging me to stay?”

“Nah.”

Joshua glares at him. “Fine. Let’s head back to the ship.”

Riku laughs as he grabs him by his hand. “You’re so predictable.”

“Hehe, welcome back, fellas!” Mickey says as they hop in again. “Riku, do you want me to drive? I wouldn’t want you to lose your date time driving.”

“Driving?” Joshua sputters out as Riku says, “Yeah, sounds good. Thank you!”

“No problem!” 

Joshua watches as Mickey sits down on the driver’s seat. Riku is holding back his laughter as best as he can. He drags the two chairs closer so he can seat with Joshua, who, despite looking horrified, still leans against Riku’s shoulder and holds his hand.

“Riku,” he whispers. “The rat’s driving.”

Riku flickers his forehead. “Not a rat.”

“He’s _still_ driving,” Joshua whispers, now more agitated, “you just trust him to do that?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“That’s terrifying, Riku.”

“You’re just really dramatic,” Riku says, resting his head against Joshua’s. “I’ll sleep for a bit.”

“And leave me alone with _Michael?”_

“You can befriend him now!”

“Riku!” 

He laughs quietly to himself as closes his eyes. He’s not going to sleep, of course. He only wants some entertainment tonight. He listens as Joshua clears his throat, no doubt preparing himself to do a highly specific question.

“So, you’re a king,” Joshua begins. Riku wonders where this is headed. “Have you ever considered investing in other worlds, perhaps? Say, like a monopoly.”

“Gosh, no!” Mickey exclaims. “You’re funny, Joshua! I’m a Guardian of Light, like Riku! All I care about is keeping the light safe.”

“Do you have any criteria for a Guardian of Light?” Joshua ponders again. “Is it a royalty-only thing? Would you consider it to be quite elitist?”

“Gosh, you really say a lot of funny things,” Mickey laughs again. “Gee, I’m not really sure what you need to be a Guardian of Light. I think a good heart is the key! And of course, the _key_ blade! Huhu!”

Joshua blinks. He forces out a “Ha ha”, which is the funniest noise Joshua has ever made in the entire time Riku has met him. He appreciates the effort, really, but he cannot help the quiet laugh. Joshua squeezes his hand, hard. 

“Thought you were _asleep,”_ Joshua murmurs. Riku laughs again. “You dick.”

“Love you,” Riku says quietly again. 

“None of that,” Joshua replies, which really, makes it funnier than it should be. Louder, he continues: “So, do you like being called Michael? Personally, it sounds like a nicer name than Mickey.”

“No one really uses that name!” Mickey always sounds cheerful. “You could be the first one, y’know! Joshua is a really nice name, by the way! Heh!”

“How do you feel about being called Yoshiya?” Riku asks him, turning his head up to stare at him now. “It’s a nice one.”

Joshua’s cheeks are slightly colored. “Nobody calls me that.”

“Yoshiya,” Riku says again.

“No,” Riku laughs quietly at his reaction. He’ll use it again for sure. “How did you meet Riku?”

“Oh, _yeeears_ ago! He grew up so quickly. I remember when he was fifteen!” Mickey laughs again. “He’s the first person to ever wield dark and light together!”

“How talented.”

“Thank you, Yoshiya.”

“Oh my god,” Joshua pulls away from his shoulder, which, ouch. _Come back!_ “So… pardon my vocabulary, but how does it feel to be a rat?”

“Ah, that happens all the time! I’m a mouse! Heh, it’s quite fun! The ears are funny.”

“I meant the rat thing entirely,” Joshua says, then continues, “I bet they are. How do you feel about amusement parks in your honor?”

“You’re quite specific,” Riku speaks up.

“I have a healthy curiosity,” Joshua grins at him. Riku swats his arm again. “So? Answer the question.”

“Hmm… we do have Disney Town,” Mickey says.

“Disney Town--” Joshua has the audacity to laugh. “Okay, sure. I understand. Not a very straight answer, but I can probably get the image.”

“Joshua, where are you from? You seem very different from all our friends!”

“My world is called Shibuya. Ever heard of it?”

“I have!”

“You _have?”_ Riku asks. This is brand new information. “When did you go to it?”

“When I first started exploring other worlds! I met a very good friend named CAT! He taught me how to do my lucky emblems.”

“CAT?” Joshua asks. His face has lost all color. Riku’s about to cry laughing. “Like… the street artist, CAT?”

“Yup! I’m glad he’s still popular! I--”

Riku stops listening, too busy muffling his laughs as Joshua’s eyes are immediately widened. “CAT,” Joshua whispers to Riku. “Riku, stop laughing. I’m nearing death.”

“No, no, this is too amusing,” Riku manages to stutter out. “I think this is what you deserve, really.”

“You’re such a jerk to me!”

“Love you.”

“Stop!”

Thankfully, Radiant Garden is just around the corner, so Joshua can be free from his current hell.

When they get down again, Mickey decides to go talk to Cid, so Riku can have a little date with Joshua around Radiant Garden. Of course, with the way things are going, it’s more Joshua looking stressed while holding onto his arm. Riku’s a little too amused by this.

“You just have to live the rest of your life knowing Mr. H knows Mickey,” Riku sneers, “You can live waiting for Mickey to drop by WildKat.”

“I hate every single word in that sentence with a burning passion,” Joshua stops walking. “I don’t think I can recover. I try to picture it in my head - Sanae and Mickey. And my brain hates the image so much. I feel like I’m in a dream.”

“See that fountain over there? I can always throw you on it, make sure you’re awake.”

“You’re mean today.”

“You called my friend a rat,” Riku smiles. “I think it’s all fair.”

“I should’ve stayed home. Minded my own UG business. Now I’m here and with knowledge I wish didn’t have.” Joshua sighs. “Worst of all, I’m still suspicious of him. Be wary, Riku. Never welcome capitalism into your house.”

“Sure.”

“You’re such a good listener.”

“Thanks. Can’t wait to see you when you see that Remy is a rat running a Bistro at Twilight Town.”

“Remy like - the chef? The rat?”

“Yep.”

“...You can throw me into the fountain. It’s fine. I believe nothing can shock me anymore.”

Riku laughs.

**Author's Note:**

> it's february 19, 2019, and im talking w my friend about how i need a reason for riku to ever have joshua's number. i say "mickey couldve run into hanekoma bc when he was studying with ansem the wise they ran into shibuya and decided to explore it". my friend wants to prosecute me for saying such a terrible cursed thing and im like :)
> 
> its november 7 2020 im watching a corpse husband stream and im like you know what? you know what? this is my cursed free pass of the year i deserve it


End file.
